Top-ups

A top-up is a one-off block of hours bought on top of whatever the client already has. Top-ups are sold from the bundles in Settings → Billing → Retainers (see Set up plans, bundles and tiers).

A client can only buy a bundle that is published, priced in their own currency and on their tier. Clients set to Hourly only can't buy top-ups at all.

The client buys one

Clients with portal access have a Buy hours page in their portal, listing your published bundles (and plans). They pick a bundle, pay on Stripe's page by card or bank debit, and the hours land when the payment clears. See Buy more hours.

The low-hours warning email links straight to this page.

You sell one

For a client who asks by phone or email:

1. Open the client page and click ⋯ → Sell hours.
2. Click Raise invoice next to the bundle.
3. Copy the payment link and send it to the client, or click Open it yourself.

Timebun raises a Stripe invoice for the bundle, due on receipt, and emails it to the client's invoice recipients. Nothing is charged until they pay. If the same bundle already has an unpaid invoice, you get that invoice's link back instead of a second invoice.

The link works for about a month after the invoice is due. A card you keep on file for the client isn't charged automatically for a top-up; the client pays from the link. See Keep a client's card on file for what a saved card is used for.

Sell hours appears only for Admins and the Owner (shown as Portal admin in the app for now), when Stripe is connected and the client has at least one bundle they can buy.

When the hours arrive

The hours are added when the invoice is paid, not when it's raised. A card payment is usually instant; a bank debit can take up to four business days. Until then, the client's Hours card shows the invoice as Awaiting payment, and the page header shows Payment clearing.

If you trust the payment, click Release hours now to add the hours straight away. They aren't added a second time when the payment clears.

How top-up hours are used

Top-up hours appear under Hours not from any agreement on the client page. They aren't tied to a retainer, so:

• a project drawing from Any of this client's hours uses them, soonest-expiring hours first;
• a project pinned to one retainer under Draws from doesn't use them.

A bundle's expiry counts from the day the payment clears. Hours from a bundle set to Never expires never expire.

Top-ups don't cover overage already recorded. See How balances work.

Add hours without a payment

To add hours you've been paid for some other way, or as a goodwill gesture, use Add hours in the client's Hours card instead. No invoice is raised.